The practice has apparently been around for years, and although a lot people still believe it’s only an urban myth, police say sticking vodka-soaked tampons in…dark places is very popular with teens. And no, it’s not just a girl thing.

Ok, so I’m either getting really old, or, as a commenter recently said, I’m a “rookie amateur drinker, the bane of respectable alcoholics throughout the land”, because I had never heard of vodka-soaked tampons. Doing a little online research I found they have been around for a few years now, and are really popular with teens who want to get drunk really fast and without anyone smelling it on their breath. And while it might sound like something only girls can use, since we’re talking tampons, guys have figured out they can also shove them up their…well, you know. It’s apparently called “butt chugging” or “butt bong”.

I hope you’re over the “they put what, up where?!?” moment, because you need to read on. Getting wasted on vodka-soaked tampons is listed as an urban myth on Snopes.com, according to some police officers there have been documented cases of teenagers getting tipsy by using this disgusting method. When liquor is drunk the old-fashioned way, stomach acid and other natural barriers prevent all the alcohol from being absorbed, but when inserting them in vascular areas like the vagina or rectum, it gets absorbed directly into the blood. This “helps” you get drunk faster and makes the state more intense. Some kids even think it makes the tipsiness last longer.

As you’d expect, using vodka-soaked tampons does pose some serious health risks. Doctors say the alcohol can cause severe irritation in the sensitive areas it is inserted, but this, in my opinion, should be the least of your concerns. A super tampon can hold around a shot of vodka, and since all that alcohol goes straight into the blood, one can get alcohol poisoning and pass out. Normally, the gag reflex lets you know when you’ve had to much, but since the booze doesn’t go down the hatch, this natural alarm system doesn’t go off in this particular case. This can also delay medical treatment, because healthcare professionals don’t usually look in those places.

But teens using vodka-soaked tampons actually like the idea of not throwing up, one less sign to give them away. Most of them also believe it helps them pass a breathalyzer test, which sounds fake, because once alcohol goes into the blood, it is partially breathed out, but even if that did work, parents and teachers could probably still tell something is wrong, and would probably assume the kid’s been using something even more dangerous, like drugs.

Earlier this year, German newspaper The Local warned that the crazy drinking habit was becoming trendy in some areas around the country. The practice initially became popular among American teenagers, but was later picked up by kids in Scandinavia and other European countries where alcohol is hard to acquire if you’re underage. There are even Facebook groups on the subject that offer detailed instructions and how-to videos.